Xia Zi Wei
Encyclopedia
Xia Ziwei is a fictional character from the Chinese
television
drama
Princess Pearl
. She was named after the crape myrtle, because that flower bloomed particularly beautifully when she was born.
. After Qianlong departs Jinan, the city where Xia Yu He resided, Yu He gives birth to Zi Wei out of wedlock. Of half Han Chinese
descent and half Manchu
descent, Zi Wei is unaware of her special background until her mother is on her deathbed. Then, she reveals to Zi Wei that she is of royal blood, and tells her to find her father. She gives Zi Wei two items, a fan and a painting, both given to Yu He as a present from Qianlong. Like her mother, Zi Wei is multitalented. She can play the zither
, sing, paint, write calligraphy, participate in literary discussions, and play chess, an unusual amount of talents for a female. More quiet and gentle than Xiao Yan Zi, Zi Wei is a fragile beauty.
Zi Wei takes on this arduous task with her faithful servant, Jin Suo. However, after arriving in Beijing, she discovers how impossible it is for her to reach her father. She is not allowed to enter the Forbidden City, and cannot find an official who is willing to help her. She attempts to seek the assistance of royal officer Liang Da Ren, but her efforts do not succeed. Finally, she attends the Liang household's wedding, in hopes of getting in touch with Liang Da Ren. There, she meets Xiao Yan Zi, her future sworn sister. She reveals her secrets to Xiao Yan Zi, and sends Xiao Yan Zi as her messenger to Qianlong.
After sending Xiao Yan Zi as her messenger, Zi Wei hears no word of Xiao Yan Zi for weeks. She is extremely worried. When she finds Xiao Yan Zi, now dubbed Huan Zhu Ge Ge, parading around the streets, she is heartbroken to find that Xiao Yan Zi stole her title and father. She runs after Xiao Yan Zi. Guards mistake her for an imposter, and nearly beat her to death. However, she is saved by Fu Er Kang, the son of royal officer Fu Da Ren. Zi Wei is nursed in the Fu household. Immediately, Er Kang is captivated by her beauty, intelligence, and warm personality. His feelings for her causes other problems to arise. Zi Wei later decides to give up her title to protect Xiao Yan Zi, but she and Er Kang cannot marry if she only has the status of a commoner. Thus, she enters the Forbidden City as a court maid so she can meet her father, Qianlong.Then she one day tells the truth and becomes the princess.
was titled "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" or "Returned Pearl Princess". Zi Wei was trying to get to Xiao Yan Zi
and confront her. Zi Wei wound up getting beaten by the guards but was saved by Erkang who commanded them to stop. He later took her into his family household and falls in love with her intelligence, beauty, manners, and talents, she returned his feelings.
Their relationship starts off being complicated because of Erkang's position of a royal imperial guard whilst Zi Wei is still a commoner. She tells him about her background and what happened with her and Xiao Yan Zi
. The both of their titles cause complication, so Erkang gets her into the Forbidden City
as a courtmaid with Xiao Yan Zi
to try to improve her status. Yet, their relationship is still complicated because of the emperorQianlong's interest in Zi Wei, since he wasn't aware of her relations to him. Zi Wei is very traditional with her display of affection towards her Erkang, so she rarely ever shows any, unless truly necessary. Throughout the series, they have fights and disagreements that has a lot of emotional issues. Erkang cares for Zi Wei very much from when she's physically hurt to when she's emotionally. Since she can't fight, he gets hurt protecting her at times. Whenever one or the other gets hurt, they each feel very much pain. They marry in the end of Part II.
clan, the reigning imperial family of China at the time. Through her father, Ziwei is also a descendant of Genghis Khan
, Nurhaci
, and other prominent figures in Manchu and Mongolian history.
in Shandong Province. The story mentions very little about the family, however, we do know that they were affluent members of the Confucian gentry
class. During one of Qianlong's secret visits to Shandong, the Xia family saved him from the rain and gave him a place to stay. During his stay in Shandong, he met their daughter, Yuhe.
Although no members of this family have appeared in the story, with the exception of Ziwei and her mother, and several brief mentions of her maternal grandparents, an uncle and aunt of Ziwei seemed to be in contact with the Empress, although it is unknown whether or not either of them is surnamed Xia.
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
Princess Pearl
Princess Pearl
Princess Pearl, also known in Singapore and the Philippines as My Fair Princess, is a television series adapted from Chiung Yao's novel series of the same title. Produced by Hunan TV, the series centres around the legend of Princess Huanzhu during the reign of the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty...
. She was named after the crape myrtle, because that flower bloomed particularly beautifully when she was born.
Story
Zi Wei's single but talented mother, Xia Yu He, had a romance several years ago with the Emperor Qianlong. The two never marry, and business matters soon require Qianlong to leave JinanJinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
. After Qianlong departs Jinan, the city where Xia Yu He resided, Yu He gives birth to Zi Wei out of wedlock. Of half Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
descent and half Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
descent, Zi Wei is unaware of her special background until her mother is on her deathbed. Then, she reveals to Zi Wei that she is of royal blood, and tells her to find her father. She gives Zi Wei two items, a fan and a painting, both given to Yu He as a present from Qianlong. Like her mother, Zi Wei is multitalented. She can play the zither
Guzheng
The guzheng or "gu zheng", also called zheng is a Chinese plucked zither. It has 18-23 or more strings and movable bridges....
, sing, paint, write calligraphy, participate in literary discussions, and play chess, an unusual amount of talents for a female. More quiet and gentle than Xiao Yan Zi, Zi Wei is a fragile beauty.
Zi Wei takes on this arduous task with her faithful servant, Jin Suo. However, after arriving in Beijing, she discovers how impossible it is for her to reach her father. She is not allowed to enter the Forbidden City, and cannot find an official who is willing to help her. She attempts to seek the assistance of royal officer Liang Da Ren, but her efforts do not succeed. Finally, she attends the Liang household's wedding, in hopes of getting in touch with Liang Da Ren. There, she meets Xiao Yan Zi, her future sworn sister. She reveals her secrets to Xiao Yan Zi, and sends Xiao Yan Zi as her messenger to Qianlong.
After sending Xiao Yan Zi as her messenger, Zi Wei hears no word of Xiao Yan Zi for weeks. She is extremely worried. When she finds Xiao Yan Zi, now dubbed Huan Zhu Ge Ge, parading around the streets, she is heartbroken to find that Xiao Yan Zi stole her title and father. She runs after Xiao Yan Zi. Guards mistake her for an imposter, and nearly beat her to death. However, she is saved by Fu Er Kang, the son of royal officer Fu Da Ren. Zi Wei is nursed in the Fu household. Immediately, Er Kang is captivated by her beauty, intelligence, and warm personality. His feelings for her causes other problems to arise. Zi Wei later decides to give up her title to protect Xiao Yan Zi, but she and Er Kang cannot marry if she only has the status of a commoner. Thus, she enters the Forbidden City as a court maid so she can meet her father, Qianlong.Then she one day tells the truth and becomes the princess.
Relationship with Erkang
Fu Erkang met Zi Wei during a march, when Xiao Yan ZiXiao Yan Zi
Xiaoyanzi is a fictional character from the popular Chinese series Princess Pearl. The two notable actresses who have portrayed Xiaoyanzi are Zhao Wei and Huang Yi.-Biography:* Name: Xiaoyanzi* Birth Name: Fang Ci * Gender: Female...
was titled "Huan Zhu Ge Ge" or "Returned Pearl Princess". Zi Wei was trying to get to Xiao Yan Zi
Xiao Yan Zi
Xiaoyanzi is a fictional character from the popular Chinese series Princess Pearl. The two notable actresses who have portrayed Xiaoyanzi are Zhao Wei and Huang Yi.-Biography:* Name: Xiaoyanzi* Birth Name: Fang Ci * Gender: Female...
and confront her. Zi Wei wound up getting beaten by the guards but was saved by Erkang who commanded them to stop. He later took her into his family household and falls in love with her intelligence, beauty, manners, and talents, she returned his feelings.
Their relationship starts off being complicated because of Erkang's position of a royal imperial guard whilst Zi Wei is still a commoner. She tells him about her background and what happened with her and Xiao Yan Zi
Xiao Yan Zi
Xiaoyanzi is a fictional character from the popular Chinese series Princess Pearl. The two notable actresses who have portrayed Xiaoyanzi are Zhao Wei and Huang Yi.-Biography:* Name: Xiaoyanzi* Birth Name: Fang Ci * Gender: Female...
. The both of their titles cause complication, so Erkang gets her into the Forbidden City
Forbidden City
The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It is located in the middle of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum...
as a courtmaid with Xiao Yan Zi
Xiao Yan Zi
Xiaoyanzi is a fictional character from the popular Chinese series Princess Pearl. The two notable actresses who have portrayed Xiaoyanzi are Zhao Wei and Huang Yi.-Biography:* Name: Xiaoyanzi* Birth Name: Fang Ci * Gender: Female...
to try to improve her status. Yet, their relationship is still complicated because of the emperorQianlong's interest in Zi Wei, since he wasn't aware of her relations to him. Zi Wei is very traditional with her display of affection towards her Erkang, so she rarely ever shows any, unless truly necessary. Throughout the series, they have fights and disagreements that has a lot of emotional issues. Erkang cares for Zi Wei very much from when she's physically hurt to when she's emotionally. Since she can't fight, he gets hurt protecting her at times. Whenever one or the other gets hurt, they each feel very much pain. They marry in the end of Part II.
Paternal
On her paternal side, Ziwei descends from the Manchu Aisin GioroAisin Gioro
Aisin Gioro was the family name of the Manchu emperors of the Qing Dynasty. The House of Aisin Gioro ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which established a republican government in its place. The word aisin means gold in the Manchu language, and "gioro" is the name of the place in...
clan, the reigning imperial family of China at the time. Through her father, Ziwei is also a descendant of Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
, Nurhaci
Nurhaci
Nurhaci was an important Jurchen chieftain who rose to prominence in the late sixteenth century in what is today Northeastern China...
, and other prominent figures in Manchu and Mongolian history.
Maternal
The Xia family, the family of Ziwei's mother, originated in the city of JinanJinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
in Shandong Province. The story mentions very little about the family, however, we do know that they were affluent members of the Confucian gentry
Gentry (China)
As used for imperial China, landed gentry does not correspond to any term in Chinese. One standard work remarks that under the Ming dynasty, called shenshi or shenjin, meaning variously degree-holders, literati, scholar-bureaucrats or officials, they are loosely known in English as the Chinese...
class. During one of Qianlong's secret visits to Shandong, the Xia family saved him from the rain and gave him a place to stay. During his stay in Shandong, he met their daughter, Yuhe.
Although no members of this family have appeared in the story, with the exception of Ziwei and her mother, and several brief mentions of her maternal grandparents, an uncle and aunt of Ziwei seemed to be in contact with the Empress, although it is unknown whether or not either of them is surnamed Xia.